The vision
- To transform the cultural and creative sector in North Tyneside
- To boost pride in local communities
- To promote individual and community health and wellbeing
- To drive economic prosperity, through increased cultural activity
and a growing visitor economy.
The plan
The Cultural Plan for North Tyneside sets out how the council and its partners will work together to transform the borough’s cultural offer and spark a cultural renaissance between 2023 and 2030.
The document, the first of its kind in North Tyneside, aims to boost the culture sector through a range of projects and new partnerships, attract inward investment, support the arts, and ensure that everyone can access and enjoy cultural activities.
It outlines how culture can be used to drive economic growth and shape the council’s regeneration plans for the borough, an approach already evident in the masterplans for North Shields and Wallsend and the creation of the new Cultural Quarter for North Shields and the redevelopment of Segedunum.
The strategy was developed following an extensive consultation exercise and in collaboration with dozens of organisations, including cultural groups, artists, and practitioners.
The strategy aligns with priorities set out in Our North Tyneside Plan and with Arts Council England’s guidance, in their 10-year pan Let’s Create, which emphasises the important of broad-based cultural partnerships, in developing the cultural offer for the benefit of residents and the economy.
The plan will be driven forward and monitored by a newly formed North Tyneside Cultural Partnership.
Working in partnership
North East Combined Authority
Work with our partners across the region brings benefits in terms of additional investment in the culture, creative and tourism sector in North Tyneside.
North Shields Cultural Quarter
A key investment benefit from our regional work is being part of a network of Cultural and Creative Zones (CCZ), funded through the North of Tyne Combined Authority. Alongside Newcastle and Berwick, we have a CCZ in North Shields Cultural Quarter, which will support cultural and creative businesses, help people develop skills to find jobs in the sector and help drive the redevelopment of the town. Investment in The Exchange, Globe Gallery and a transformed Cultural and Creative Business Centre is key to this initiative.
History and heritage
North Tyneside is rich in history from the Romans to the Stephensons, the rich history of the fishing industry, coal mining and electrical engineering. A celebration of this history, with an eye to how it can help inform the future, will be a vital part of our cultural plan.
Creative industries
Making North Tyneside a great place to set up and deliver a cultural business will be a key part of the work in North Shields Cultural Quarter, but must be reflected across the Borough. This fast-growing sector can help drive economic development, as well as providing exciting new cultural activity for visitors and residents. Finding locations which can support, sustain and aid the development of cultural and creative businesses across the Borough will be a key challenge.
Tourism and hospitality
North Tyneside has been a major tourism destination for many years, boasting fabulous natural assets, a diverse events programme, a range of heritage attractions, including its museums and St. Mary’s Lighthouse, and a growing hospitality sector. Building from a successful base will ensure the continuation of growth in this sector well into the future.
Events
An established events programme which includes Mouth of the Tyne Festival, Whitley Bay Carnival, North Tyneside Art Trail, North Sea Weekender and many others will be encouraged to grow and extend the offer to both residents and visitors. This will include making use of town centre developments, which offer new events spaces; extending the events offer at existing sites such as Segedunum and Stephenson Steam Railway; and working with local communities to deliver bespoke events for their areas.
Libraries
The network of libraries and Customer First Centres across North Tyneside continue to be key access points for literacy, literature and learning, the building blocks of any cultural experience. Author engagement through face-to-face events and promotion, such as through the Northern Children’s Book Festival, will be key to ensuring cultural activity is sustained across the life course.
Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS)
Both through the Voluntary Organisations Development Agency (VODA) or indpendent arts organisations such as Salto Arts, North Tyneside Art Studio and Helix Arts, work with the VCS is vital to the cultural life of North Tyneside. The recent Heritage Action Zones (HAZ) initiative is a good example of co-operative working, as is collaboration with the North Shields Fishermen's Heritage group to commission public art. These relationships will be vital going forward as the cultural plan is translated into action.
The context
For many years our aim in North Tyneside has been to make the Borough a great place to live, work and visit. The cultural life of the Borough is key to that aim.
In North Tyneside we have a fantastic programme of events, including the long-running Mouth of the Tyne Festival, combining high profile music with international outdoor arts performance. We are home to many independent cultural initiatives such as Whitley Bay Carnival, Iron Press and Jam Jar Cinema.
In Helix Arts we have the Borough’s only Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation. We have the Playhouse, Whitley Bay with a fabulous programme of entertainment throughout the year. We have excellent museums at Segedunum in Wallsend, part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site, and at Stephenson Steam Railway, reflecting the significant role of the Borough in the birth of the industrial revolution. At St. Mary’s Island we have the iconic and nationally famous lighthouse, a key regional symbol as well as a hugely popular visitor attraction.
Our partnership with the North East Combined Authority is bringing investment to support a more diverse town centre visitor offer, through the North Shields Cultural Quarter, while our wider regeneration programme across the Borough is ensuring that culture is at the heart of our thinking.
Across the sector there are many cultural organisations, tourism businesses, freelance workers, events organisers and volunteers who contribute to the rich cultural ecology we already enjoy in North Tyneside, supporting the cultural life of our communities.
This cultural plan is the first step on an exciting partnership journey, following up on the challenges identified in consultation, to build on our existing strengths and to make sure that we have an outstanding offer that meets the aim of transforming North Tyneside as a cultural centre and ensuring we remain a great place to live, work and visit.